Rollers for drawing sheets of glass.



PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

E. FOUROAULT. ROLLERS FOR DRAWING SHEETS 0F GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21,1906.

liZz/en $02 2.5 2722% Jburc'au Z? UNITED STATES PATENT orruon;

FIOLLERSFOR- DRAWING SHEETS OF GLASS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12,1907.

Application filed May 21, 1906. Serial N0. 318,044.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE FoUncAuLT,

glass-manufacturer, subject of the King: of.

Belgium, residing at Lodelins'art, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rollers for Drawing Sheets of Glass-of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object rollers for drawing sheets of glass.

In the apparatus for drawing sheets of glass directly from abath of molten glass the edges. of the sheets obtained are provided with a swelling having greater thickness than the sheet. This swelling is produced because the edges of the sheet are formed with glass which is not so fluid as the glass forming the central part of the sheet and because the edges are cooled on three sides-Ql. 0., on the two faces and on the edge-while the central art is only cooled on thetwo faces. The formation of this swelling is even provoked,

' being usefulfor insuring a good. and regular formation of the drawn sheet, as these swellin'gs constitute ribs which are more rigid than the rest of the sheet and which prevent the sheet from beingcontracted or creased in its width. The formation of the swellings pre sents a great disadvantage if the drawing is effected by sets of two-as b'estos rollers which are conju ated and movable the one with respect to t e other, these sets of rollers being superposed in a vertical annealing and cooling casing. This disadvantage is very reat,

as this drawing process is indispensab e for obtaining'a continuous sheet of glass which is cut with a diamond when it comes out at the top of the annealing-casing, this process being the only practical one for obtaining mechanically sheets of glass. In these conditions the drawing-rollers come only-into con-' tact with the two edges of the sheet, and it is thus practically impossible to draw sheets of more than thirty centimeters in width. If lar er, and consequently heavier, sheets are to e manufactured. the adherence between the rollers and the sheet is not sufficient for lifting the sheet, and the want of friction cannot be counterbalanced by an increasing of ressure without breaking the sheet. 'Cylindrical rollers the lengthof which is lower than the width of the sheet cannot be used, as the ends of the axis of the rollers passing throughthe casing would allow cold air to penetrate into the casing and-to act directly on the edges of the sheet, cooling it suddenly.

The sheet thus obtained would break or could not' be cut with a diamond. Furthermore, by this disposition in the middle part of the two little faces of the casing. corresponding to the edges of the sheet two 'verti cal conduits are formed, causing a draft of heat in these parts to the prejudice of the rest of the apparatus.- The cooling and the annealing would not be equalized, andthe sheet obtained would be very brittle.

The invention has for its object to guard against these disadvantages.

Figure 1 is a broken sectional view of the im roved rollers, shown tapered at opposite en s. Fig. 2 is a similar view showlng the rollers cylindrically reduced at o posite ends. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectiona view of one of the rollers, showing an asbestos covering therefor. I

The ends of the asbestosdrawing-rollers are tapered or have a lesser diameter than the central part. The asbestos coverin or Eiprface of the rollers is indicated in detail by 1g. 3. v r 1 The ends a: of the rollers shown by Fi 1 are tapered, and' the ends y of the rol ers shown by Fig. 2 have less cylindrical diameter than the central or intermediate portions of the said rollers.

With such a disposition the two swellings do'not come into .c'ontact'with the rollers, which grasp the whole of the central part of the sheet.

The drawingrollers.act thus on the sheet wlth the maximum of adherence, allowing thus thelr pressure on the sheet to be 'reduced to the minimum, The end of the me-i tallic axis of these rolls can be coated with a heat non-conducting material. The ends of the axis cannot thus act. for cooling the ends of the sheet. i

The circulation of the heat is lightly increasedalong the edges of the sheet or at a part of thesheet which requires more heat to render the annealing and cooling effective.

It is known also that the small faces of the casing through which the sheet of glass is drawn have the tendency of cooling more rapidly than the larger faces, and by increasing the heat as set forth this disadvantage is obviated.

Havin thus described and ascertained the nature 0 my invention and in what manner the same may be performed, I declare that what I claim 1s 1. Rollers coated with asbestos for drawing continuous sheets of glass, the ends of 4. Rollers for drawing sheets of glass which have a lesser diameter than their cencoated with asbestos and having tapered tral part, substantially as deszribed. ends.

2. Rollers for drawing sheets of glass hav- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set -15 I 5 ing a coating and their ends of less diameter my hand in presence of tWo subscribing Witthan the, intermediate portions between the nesses. ends, the intermediate portions of the rollers EMILE FOURCAULT being of uniform diameter. i

3. Rollers for drawing sheets of glass hav- 1o ing tapered ends, the intermediate portions of the rollers being of uniform diameter.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR REGNIERS, LEOPOLD BASTIRE. 

